DOLPHIN Cruise
Mobile Bay Dolphin Sighting
Mobile Bay Adventures offers families and small groups (up to 6 people) 2.5 hr dolphin sighting charters along the Eastern Shore of Mobile Bay. The Dolphin charter is a relaxing cruise from Weeks Bay in Fairhope Alabama and cruises south to Bon Secour Bay searching for a pod of dolphin. Often, we combine this Charter with a late afternoon Mobile Bay Sunset Cruise as requested by our guests, which can extend the charter from the Marriot Grand Hotel as far south as Navy Cove. Dolphin pods are routinely spotted feeding around the reefs along the Eastern Shore and is just one of many enjoyable things you can experience by boat on Mobile Bay.
Dolphin Sighting is a big component of our Full-Day Family Charter package, "We're headed to the Gulf." We look for pods of Dolphin cruising from Weeks Bay in Fairhope all the way to Arnica Bay in Orange Beach Alabama. This is an exhilarating family boating day where we combine dolphin sighting with beach combing, swimming activities, light inshore fishing and lunch at any of several family restaurants we'll pass on the water.
This trip covers a about 80 miles round trip and offers a great sightseeing adventure and an experience the local boating community cherishes. If you want to treat your children to a fun, family bonding day, this is the captain's choice because you get to experience so much of the Alabama Coast by boat.
Arnica Bay & Bay La Launch
Arnica Bay and Bay La Launch offer some of the best dolphin sighting experiences on the entire Alabama Gulf Coast. Numerous dolphin pods travel through the Intercoastal Waterway which passes through these bays often providing up close and near cinematic views of dolphin in their natural habitat. On this charter you see dolphin, beautiful landscapes, yachts and wildlife, and have an opportunity to "wet a line" or swim in the protected waters of Ingram Bayou. This Bayou is where the locals go to drop anchor, throw out some floats and rafts, to enjoy scenery and picnic on the boat.
Pirates Cove is another fun stop option on our Full-Day Dolphin Charter. It's a local's favorite, dog friendly pit stop to grab a bite, listen to "live music" on the beach watch kids swim in protected water. Adults can swim and enjoy the famous BUSHWACKER, an adult ice cream beverage popular with the boating community.
Lighthouse Charter
Our Lighthouse Charter departs from Weeks Bay in Fairhope Alabama or Marriot Grand Hotel in Point Clear Alabama where we cruise past Navy Cove along Fort Morgan to just offshore 3 miles where we view and photograph Sand Island Lighthouse. Sand Island Lighthouse was first built in 1838 and the current structure of a brick tower was later built in 1864 on a 400 acre Island. With erosion from currents and storms it's been reduced to just the Lighthouse.
Today it is on the Lighthouse Digest Doomsday List as one of the most endangered lighthouses in the country. Sand Island is the beacon for mariners coming from the Gulf of America entering Mobile Bay. From this lighthouse you can also see Historic Fort Morgan to the NE and Fort Gaines on Dauphin Island to the NW. We then depart and cruise 18 miles north up the Mobile Ship Channel to Historic Middle Bay Lighthouse.
Middle Bay Lighthouse built in 1885 is one of the last “screw-pile” lighthouses left standing in the United States. This light house sits near the Mobile Ship Channel where visitors often see Oil Tankers, Cruise Ships, Shrimp Trawlers, even Warships traveling in or out of Mobile Port. It is the only documented lighthouse to have a milk cow living on it.
Both Lighthouses are built on shell and rock structure and provide a premier fishing spot. Clients have the option to add additional time for light fishing. Often times our guest also get to see a pod of dolphin pass by either lighthouse and because of the distance of this charter clients can experience the "tide line" where the gulf waters and fresh waters meet making a distinct change in water color.
SUNSETS ON MOBILE BAY
Without a doubt, clear or partly cloudy days on Mobile Bay offer spectacular Sunsets from the Eastern Shore. We offer charters in North Bay with the Mobile Skyline and USS Alabama in the background, in Middle Bay with Middle Bay Lighthouse in the background and South Mobile Bay with the Dauphin Island Bridge in the background.
MOBILE BAY ECO SYSTEM
Mobile Bay Adventures offers half-day charters in the Mobile Tensaw River Delta and the Weeks Bay Watershed. Tours launch from the Causeway for the Mobile Delta and Hwy 98 Fish River Bridge in Fairhope for Weeks Bay.
River Delta
The Mobile Tensaw River Delta is Alabama’s largest wetland ecosystem and the second largest river delta in the United States. We can target either fresh or saltwater species. The Delta is approximately 45 miles long and covers over 400 square miles of wetland. It is characterized by numerous tributary rivers, streams, bayous and creeks, including the waters of the Tensaw, Tombigbee and Alabama rivers and maintains the areas ecological balance, filtering impurities from approximately 15% of our countries fresh water.
Known as America’s Amazon, the Mobile Delta is home to more species of freshwater fish, mussels, snails, turtles and crawfish than any other state. Over 350 species of freshwater fish and more turtle species than and other river system on the planet. Even creatures capable of killing humans, including Bears, Bobcats, Bull Shark, Boars, Alligators and 5 different venomous snakes make their home in the Alabama Delta.
In addition to over 300 different bird species, there is an untold number of insects, amphibians and reptiles. The Delta is also home to one of the most diverse collections of carnivorous plants that feast on animals and insects alike. It is a land of “meat-eaters” with Bogs of pitcher plants that drown and eat a variety of insects, sundews and thread dews growing close to the ground can consume even the largest of dragonflies and floating bladderworts that trap and consume baby fish and tadpoles.
Mobile Bay Adventures cruises the southern end of the Delta which includes the Tensaw- Apalachee watershed. We launch at Ralph Kacoo’s on the causeway and cruise by the USS Alabama in route to Spanish River and Grand Bay to view wildlife and the numerous fish-camps along the river.
We’ll then move east along Raft River before dropping south down Crab Creek a few miles to the Apalachee River. Crab creek is a two-mile long, narrow creek giving you an excellent view of plant and wildlife from both sides. The last leg, we cruise down Apalachee river along the causeway, through Chacaloochee Bay returning to the boat launch.
Weeks Bay Watershed
The Weeks Bay Watershed is part of the Mobile Bay National Estuary Program encompassing approximately 130,000 acres of southwest Baldwin County. The watershed includes the Fish River and Magnolia River drainage basins as well as several small creeks that enter Weeks Bay directly.
When visiting the Weeks Bay Watershed, we highly recommend that you take the time to visit Weeks Bay Visitor Center to learn about coastal habitats through its exhibits and collections of animals and regional plants and self-guiding nature trails that wind through wetlands, marshes, forests and a pitcher plant bog.
Mobile Bay Adventures offers three-hour charters through the southwest area of the estuary. We cover all of Weeks Bay and the drainage basin of Fish and Magnolia Rivers, including, Turkey Branch and Waterhole Branch in Fish River and Noltie Creek in Magnolia River.
River Cruises
Magnolia Springs, Fish River, Bon Secour River
Brackish water river cruises offer a tranquil way to explore the natural beauty of Magnolia Springs, Fish River, and Bon Secour River on Mobile Bay's Eastern Shore. Glide along serene waters, encounter diverse wildlife and lush landscapes, and enjoy the charm of these picturesque waterways. You might spot dolphin pods feeding on bait fish at river mouths and see Seagulls, Pelicans, and Osprey.
Ideal times for a peaceful Mobile Bay River Cruise are early mornings and late afternoons from May to September. Waterfront properties feature architecture evolving from past generations to modern designs. Around lunchtime, boat traffic increases as residents shift from yardwork to recreational activities, often involving swimming. Midday river cruises are best enjoyed with floats in the cool water.
Fish River features numerous no wake zones to protect property owners and kayakers a like. Big Daddy’s located midway up this river is a popular eatery for boaters. Good food, live music and great beverages. Weeks Bay National Estuary, at the river's mouth, has a visitor’s center with exhibits on the coastal habitats and offers self-guided nature trails through marshes, wetlands, and a pitcher plant bog. It is just a few hundred yards up from the boat launch and worth the stop.
Magnolia River, in Magnolia Springs, Alabama, connects to Weeks Bay. Although considered brackish because of tides, it is fed by freshwater springs and offers some of the best swimming holes in the area. Locals enjoy diving into the "ice box" for refreshing swims and socializing with other boaters.
Bon Secour River, located further south on Mobile Bay and a 45-minute run from the boat launch, is a bit less developed. The southern end hosts shrimp boats and seafood processing plants, integral to the local seafood industry. With higher salinity, it's great for fishing and dolphin sighting near the Mobile Bay entrance. Often guests bring a small ice chest to buy seafood on the way back for a fresh seafood dinner.
Our Mobile Bay River cruises launch from the Weeks Bay Boat Ramps and we also pick-up guests staying at the Marriot Grand Hotel from their dock. Depending on the launch, River Cruises range from 2-4 hours long.
BLUE ANGELS
Pensacola Florida is home to the Blue Angels. In addition to two annual air shows Pensacola Beach Air Show and their Coming Home Air Show at seasons end, the Blue Angels have scheduled practices on Tuesday's or Wednesdays at the Pensacola Naval Airstation. It is here that pilots learn how to perform and master the precision maneuvers on the FA -18 Super Hornets that they demonstrate in airshows across the country.
These practices offer mariners a great opportunity to experience the various maneuvers the team will execute on their weekend shows. Bayou Grande, Robertson Strait and the sand bars on the west end of Fort Pickens are excellent locations to experience the power of these aircraft and precision flying.
